Weapons & Guns

Stand-up comedian Tim Dillon's wading into one of the biggest stories of 2024 ... playing slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a Netflix special.

Here's the deal ... on Friday, Netflix is releasing "Torching 2024: A Roast of the Year" -- a roast taking a flamethrower to some of the biggest news stories from 2024 as we head into 2025.

Of course, arguably the biggest story of the year was the shooting death of Thompson earlier this month ... and sources familiar with the taping tell us that Dillon and Netflix didn't shy away from it.

Joe Burrow is finally revealing why he bought his offensive linemen swords for Christmas ... explaining it was a bit of a compromise -- as his teammates initially said they wanted firearms.

The Cincinnati quarterback went into detail about the unique presents following the Bengals' 24-6 win over the Browns ... telling media members he didn't want to get his pals guns, so he opted for a little safer weapon.

"I was like, 'I don't know about guns, guys,'" he said with a smile. "And, so, I was in the weapon mindset, and I was like, 'What's a cool weapon?' And Samurai swords, I think, are pretty dang cool."

Luigi Mangione says he's not guilty of slaying UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson -- he entered not guilty pleas Monday morning in New York State court.

Mangione pleaded not guilty to 11 state charges ... including first-degree murder, second-degree murder as crime of terrorism and multiple weapons charges.

The 26-year-old Ivy League grad was dressed like a college preppie -- a maroon sweater over a white collared shirt and khaki pants -- as he stood before the judge with his attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo.

A family member of teenager Rubi Vergara -- who died in the Wisconsin school shooting earlier this week -- expressed forgiveness for the shooter at Rubi's funeral.

In front of a large crowd, who came to pay their respects to 14-year-old Rubi Saturday, the New York Post reports Vergara's uncle -- Andy Remus -- said the family holds "no bitterness or unforgiveness towards 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow and her family."

Remus says Rupnow's family lost a daughter too ... and, Rupnow -- a "precious child of God" -- simply lost her way before the shooting.

An ex-neighbor of the California man accused of plotting a local mass shooting in a coordinated attack with the Wisconsin school shooter is speaking out ... telling TMZ about the chilling, ominous energy he always carried.

The woman, choosing to remain anonymous, talked to us on "TMZ Live" Thursday, revealing that during the 5 to 6 years she lived near 20-year-old Alexander Paffendorf, he exhibited seriously creepy behavior -- never talking, avoiding eye contact, always wearing his hood up, and other unsettling anti-social habits.

Catch the video, because she dives into the specific moments when Paffendorf made her feel super uncomfortable around their apartment complex -- and it’s spine-chilling.

Luigi Mangione is on the move ... the suspected killer in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is being extradited from Pennsylvania to New York.

Luigi appeared in court Thursday in Pennsylvania and waived extradition ... and now he's being transported back to the scene of his alleged crime.

Mangione is accused of fatally shooting Thompson earlier this month outside a hotel in Manhattan ... and five days after the shooting he was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, PA.

Luigi Mangione was back in court Thursday morning for another extradition hearing ... and his admirers lost their minds 'cause he's cleaned up with a shave and a haircut.

Here's the deal ... Mangione formally waived extradition after he arrived at a Pennsylvania courthouse under heavy security -- he's been officially charged in NYC with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Video captured Mangione being led into the courthouse -- and he appeared to be more subdued than last time, when he lashed out at cameras shortly after he was apprehended.

Turns out the Wisconsin teen school shooter may have had a partner in crime -- a California man has been detained for allegedly planning a mass shooting at a government building in a coordinated attack with her.

According to a gun violence restraining order obtained by San Diego's CBS 8, 20-year-old Carlsbad resident Alexander Paffendorf is accused of exchanging messages with Natalie Rupnow about opening fire at a local government building ... while she attacked the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison on Monday.

The emergency restraining order from the Carlsbad Police Department states, "During an FBI interview, Paffendorf admitted to the FBI agents that he told Rupnow that he would arm himself with explosives and a gun and that he would target a government building."

The student and teacher who were killed earlier this week in a horrific school shooting in Wisconsin have been identified.

According to The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office ... 14-year-old student Rubi Patricia Vergara and 42-year-old teacher Erin West died in Monday's shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison.

The medical examiner says Erin and Rubi "died as a result of homicidal firearm related trauma." The M.E. says their deaths remain under investigation by police and the medical examiner.

Luigi Mangione's mother knew he was capable of extreme actions -- hinting at his current state of mind when questioned by police just days before his arrest for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Following Luigi's first-degree murder indictment Tuesday, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny revealed during a Manhattan D.A. press conference that, before his arrest, they called the suspect's mother, Kathleen Mangione, while vetting a tip from the San Francisco FBI office related to a missing-person case.

Kenny said Kathleen seemed unsurprised, saying, "They had a conversation where she didn’t indicate that it was her son in the photograph, but she said it might be something that she could see him doing."

Natalie Rupnow, the 15-year-old girl police identified as the Wisconsin school shooter who killed a student and a teacher in a deadly rampage, looks like she knew how to handle a firearm ... at least according to the first photos to surface of her online.

In one photo, shared on her father's Facebook page, you see Natalie at a gun range ... and she's aiming at a clay pigeon with a shotgun.

Natalie is wearing a shirt featuring the German rock band KMFDM ... which is interesting, because Columbine school shooter Eric Harris was super into the band.

12:05 PM PT -- Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes gave updates to the case this afternoon, and clarified a significant detail about the school shooting.

"Yesterday, after looking at the computer-aided dispatch system, it seems as if a call came from a second-grader -- it actually read, 'The call came from a second-grade teacher.' That was a mistake. That's my responsibility, and I apologize, and I clarify that today. It did not come from a second-grader -- it read 'second-grade teacher.'"

A 15-year-old girl has been identified as the Wisconsin school shooter who killed a student and a teacher and seriously injured several more people.

According to police, Natalie Rupnow died by suicide Monday after going on her terrifying shooting rampage at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, WI, where she was also a student.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes announced at last night's press conference that Rupnow — who went by the name Samantha — was the assailant, which came as a total shock because of her age and gender.

The mysterious drones that invaded New Jersey and have the state on edge are driving up some gun sales ... in addition to being a major topic of conversation in firearm shops, TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... over the past month, there've been hundreds of sightings of drones in the Jersey sky -- with some said to be as big as a car -- and it seems no one knows where they are coming from or their purpose.

TMZ contacted several gun stores around the state ... we hear some people are getting strapped 'cause they are unnerved by the drones.

Admiration for the man suspected of murdering the UnitedHealthcare CEO is not just perverse ... it's dangerous, Michael Moynihan tells TMZ.

The renowned journalist told "TMZ Live" ... the level of joy and satisfaction a portion of the country felt when Brian Thompson was killed last week is deeply disturbing ... but not nearly as grotesque as people fawning over Luigi Mangione.

MM contends our society is clearly in a "sick place" ... and most of the people who see Mangione as a folk hero are too young -- and uninformed -- to really consider the twisted logic of the heinous crime.

12:23 PM PT -- The gun allegedly found in Luigi Mangione's possession when he was arrested Monday has been forensically tested ... and New York Police confirm the "ghost gun" has been matched to shell casings found at the scene of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the gun is being processed at the NYPD crime lab ... and said the gun matches "the three shell casings" found in midtown Manhattan a week ago.

As TMZ reported ... the words "deny," "defend" and "depose" were engraved in shell casings found at the scene.

Police say Luigi Mangione's fingerprints match prints found at the scene of Brian Thompson's murder last week in New York City.

CNN reports two law enforcement officials confirmed that information Wednesday morning.

It was previously reported a partial fingerprint was lifted from a water bottle, possibly bought at a Starbucks down the street from the shooting scene moments before the crime. It's unclear if that's the print to which police are referring.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder is inspiring warnings to other healthcare executives ... with "wanted" posters popping up in NYC of other big players in the industry.

Video of these posters is going viral online ... showing a dark green traffic control box in Lower Manhattan decorated with three posters featuring healthcare CEOs -- including Thompson's photo with a huge red "X" slashed through it.

The other 2 execs are at OptumHealth and UnitedHealth Group and the poster accuses them of denying medical coverage in order to bolster their companies' bottom lines.